Storage rack



1966 R. s. SCHECK 3,285,428

STORAGE RACK Filed Dec. 21, 1964 I I I I 5 18 L I 11. I f 44 z, 4 4 lIf 4 i 'i'i. 4

' 48 INVENTOR DOY S. SCHECK United States Patent 3,285,428 STORAGE RACK Roy S. Scheck, Itasca, Ill., assignor to Unarco Industries,

c., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed Dec. 21, 1964, Ser. No. 420,007 4 Claims. (Cl. 211148) This invention relates to storage racks and more particularly to racks having cross bars on which various types of bulk commodities can be stored. Racks have heretofore been proposed in which horizontally spaced parallel rails carry a series of cross bars to receive cartons, rolls of material, such as bolts of textiles, rolls of carpeting, or the like, for storage. Such racks have commonly been formed with ledges on the inner surfaces of the rails on which the end portions of the cross bars rest with the upper surfaces of the cross bars substantially flush with the upper surfaces of the rails. One such rack is disclosed in the patent to Franks, Reissue No. 24,535.

While constructions of this type are entirely satisfactory for cartons and for many other types of commodities, they have been found not to be completely satisfactory for storing commodities such as bolts of cloth, rolls of carpeting, and the like. In handling commodities of this type, the cross bars tend to be shifted or lifted out of position so that they will not support the commodities properly.

It is accordingly one of the objects of the present invention to provide a storage rack in which the cross bars are held against accidental displacement either horizontally or vertically.

Another object is to provide a storage rack in which the cross bars are resiliently latched in the desired position between the rails.

According to a feature of the invention, the cross bars are for-med of inverted channel section strips with inwardly extending lips at the lower edges of the channel side members to snap over Wedge shaped latch members on the side rails thereby to hold the cross bars accurately in position.

The above and other objects and features of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a storage rack embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a transverse section through a pair of side rails showing a cross bar in evlevation;

FIG. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are partial sectional views illustrating steps in the assembly of a cross bar in the rack.

The rack, as shown in FIG. 1, is the general configuration of that disclosed in Franks Reissue No. 24,535. This rack comprises end members indicated generally at 9 formed of upright posts 10 connected in pairs by cross members 11. The posts are preferably of channel section formed with a series of vertically spaced openings at their corners with the cross members 11 permanently secured thereto as by welding or similar fastening.

A complete rack comprises two end members, including four vertical posts 10 spaced apart and connected by side rails 12. The side rails 12 may be attached to the posts at any one of a plurality of selected vertical points and preferably two or more pairs of side rails are mounted on each rack. As best seen in FIG. 2, each of the side rails is formed of sheet material, tubular in section, and having a generally horizontal ledge 13 intermediate its top and bottom surfaces at its inner side surface. The ledge 13 is connected to the top surface of the side rail by a vertical shoulder 14, as shown.

Commodities to be supported by the rack rest on cross bars 15, any desired number of which may be provided,

3,285,428- Patented Nov. 15, 1966 extending between the side rails and which may be spaced to accommodate different types of commodities, as required. As best seen in FIG. 3, each of the cross bars 15 is of inverted channel section with inwardly extending lips 16 at the lower edges of the channel sides. Preferably the lips are turned upwardly at their extreme inner edges, as shown at 16a and are spaced to leave an open slot 16b in the bottom of each side rail. The cross bars are of a length to span the space between adjacent side rails with their end portions resting on the ledges 13 on the side rails, as shown, and are of a depth such that their upper surfaces will lie substantially flush with the upper surfaces of the side rails.

According to the present invention, the cross bars are held in the desired position between the side rails against accidental displacement in either a horizontal or a vertical direction. For this purpose an elongated strip 17 is secured to the inner face of each side rail 12 below the ledge 13 thereon as, for example, by welding. Each strip 17 is formed with a plurality of spaced upwardly extending =wedge member 18 which project above the ledges 13. Each of the wedge members, as shown, flares downwardly from a top portion of minimum width to a portion of maximum width spaced above the ledge 13 and then reduces in width to a narrow neck portion 20 to leave downwardly facing latch surfaces 19 above the level of the ledge 13.

When a cross bar is to be installed between the side rails its end portion may be placed over one of the wedge members 18 with the reduced upper end of the wedge member fitting between the lips 16, as shown in FIG. 4. The cross bar may then be pressed or struck to move it downwardly to its final position. As the cross bar moves downwardly, its sides will spring outward, as shown in FIG. 5, so that the lips 16 will pass over the maximum width portion of the wedge member. When the cross bar is moved down to its final position, as shown in FIG. 6, the lips will snap back beneath the downwardly facing shoulders 19 to latch the cross bar against accidental upward displacement. Also it will be seen that the wedge members 18 will prevent displacement of the cross bars longitudinally of the rails so that the cross bars will be held accurately in position during all normal uses of the rack. It will also be apparent that the rack can be disassembled when desired and all of the parts can be reassembled either in the same or in different desired relationship.

While one embodiment of the invention has been shown and described herein, it will be understood that it is illustrative only and not to be taken as a definition of the scope of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A storage rack comprising a plurality of pairs of connected spaced upright posts, a pair of rails supported by the posts in horizontally spaced parallel relationship, each of the rails being formed on its inner side surface with an inwardly extending ledge, a vertically extending wedge member secured to the inner surface of each rail and projecting vertically above the ledge thereon and formed with a downwardly facing latching shoulder, and a cross bar of resilient material and inverted channel sec tion having an inwardly extending lip on at least one of its lower edges, the cross bar spanning the space be tween the rails with its end portions resting on the ledges and the Wedge members fitting into the inverted channel with the lips underlying the shoulders on the wedge members to prevent accidental removal of the cross bar.

2. A storage rack comprising a plurality of pairs of connected spaced upright posts, a pair of rails supported by the posts in horizontally spaced parallel relationship, each of the rails being formed on its inner side surface with an inwardly extending ledge, a plurality of spaced vertically extending wedge members secured to the inner surface of each rail and projecting above the ledge thereon and formed with at least one downwardly facing latching shoulder, and at least one cross bar of resilient material and inverted channel section having an inwardly extending lip on at least one of its lower edges, the cross bar being adapted to span the space between the rails with its end portions resting on the ledges and a wedge member on each rail fitting into the inverted channel and with the lips underlying the shoulders on the wedge members to prevent accidental removal of the cross bar.

3. The storage rack of claim 1 in which the cross bar has an inwardly turned lip on each of its lower edges and each wedge member flares from a narrow tip to a maximum width greater than the space between the lips and then narrows to define a downwardly facing shoulder at each side thereof.

4. A storage rack comprising a plurality of pairs of connected spaced upright posts, a pair of rails supported by the posts in horizontally spaced parallel relationship, each of the rails being formed on its inner side surface with an inwardly extending ledge, a vertically extending wedge member secured to each of the rails and projecting References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,529,420 11/ 1950 Ramquist 2 4255 .2 2,815,130 12/1957 Franks 211-148 2,895,755 7/1959 Golde 287--56 3,164,260 1/1965 Seeman 211177 FOREIGN PATENTS 245,579 5/ 1963 Australia. 1,299,967 6/ 1962 France.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

vertically above the ledge thereon and formed with a 25 W. D. LOULAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A STORAGE RACK COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF PAIRS OF CONNECTED SPACED UPRIGHT POSTS, A PAIR OF RAILS SUPPORTED BY THE POSTS IN HORIZONTALLY SPACED PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP, EACH OF THE RAILS BEING FORMED ON ITS INNER SIDE SURFACE WITH AN INWARDLY EXTENDING LEDGE, A VERTICALLY EXTENDING WEDGE MEMBER SECURED TO THE INNER SURFACE OF EACH RAIL AND PROJECTING VERTICALLY ABOVE THE LEDGE THEREON AND FORMED WITH A DOWNWARDLY FACING LATCHING SHOULDER, AND A CROSS BAR RESILIENT MATERIAL AND INVERTED CHANNEL SECTION HAVING AN INWARDLY EXTENDING LIP ON AT LEAST ONE OF ITS LOWER EDGES, THE CROSS BAR SPANNING THE SPACE BETWEEN THE RAILS WITH ITS END PORTIONS RESTING ON THE LEDGES AND THE WEDGE MEMBERS FITTING INTO THE INVERTED CHANNEL WITH THE LIPS UNDERLYING THE SHOULDERS ON THE WEDGE MEMBERS TO PREVENT ACCIDENTAL REMOVAL OF THE CROSS BAR. 